Australia’s chair of selectors, George Bailey, is optimistic that Josh Hazlewood will be able to increase his fitness levels in the months leading up to June’s six-Test trip of the United Kingdom. The fast bowler, who is 32 years old, suffered from Achilles tendinitis throughout the domestic summer and was therefore unable to play in the Border-Gavaskar Test Series.
It may be some time before the New South Wales native makes an appearance for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League. Cricket Australia has chosen Bailey to a 17-man squad for the World Test Championships final over India and the subsequent five-Test Ashes series, betting on him to build up his bowling workload via the T20 league.
Holland said on Wednesday (April 19) that he hoped Josh Hazlewood would receive more playing time in the second half of the Indian Premier League to help him continue his road to recovery. He has worked in the field for a while. His work ethic is commendable. Josh. He has planned out every detail of his preparation for the Ashes. All the relevant parties and ourselves are in continual contact. As he gains experience, the IPL’s four-over bursts could be a good method to gradually increase his workload.
Michael Neser, who had a career-best Sheffield Shield season for Queensland with 40 wickets at 16.67, is noticeably absent from Australia’s selection for the tour of the UK, despite Hazlewood’s comeback efforts. Since he is currently playing County Cricket for Glamorgan, he will be available to be called up by the national team if they need additional fast bowling options.
We also have Sean Abbott and Michael Neser over there playing county cricket, which is a huge help. “We can always count on them because they’re out there playing cricket,” Bailey added. It’s fantastic that so many talented cricketers are able to play for County teams. All the guys who are over there playing are under constant surveillance. When it comes to bowling, I believe we have our top pick for quicks over there. If we do need to get in touch with someone quickly, we’ll know exactly who we’re looking for and why. And hopefully not have to carry an extra body on the squad.”
Bailey, meanwhile, attempted to shed light on the controversial opener David Warner’s decision by saying that the 36-year-old was not a lock to play in the upcoming Ashes despite the fact that he was slated to start the Test Championship final against India at The Oval as a show of continuity. Warner, who is 36 years old, has struggled with his record in the format recently, failing to reach 50 in 13 of his last 15 innings. However, that one innings that he did reach double figures in was a double century against South Africa in the Boxing Day Test.
After “a couple of consistent years on the Test front,” Warner is “invested and wants to make sure he helps us finish off by trying to win the World Test Championship final,” as Bailey put it. We see that as the climax of a period of relative stability spanning two years. The team has been largely consistent for a long time. We think that’s a winning combination of players and personalities.
I wasn’t talking about Dave in particular, but I do believe we can make it through this Test championship. We’ll be plotting things out in the background, but we’ll have a look at the results when we get there. Moving the first match of the Ashes from the Oval to a new venue with a new surface means facing a new set of opponents. So, we’ll figure it out. When we get there, we’ll see what the weather is like.